and other adventures along the way

Tag: LinkedIn

We live in a world that is plugged in, constantly viewing more than two screens at once. With so many applications and various sites being considered a by product of “social media” it is first vital that one understands what that term means. According to about.com social media is “a website that doesn’t just give you information, but interacts with you while giving you that information. This interaction can be as simple as asking for your comments or letting you vote on an article.”

An easy explanation. But who is using these platforms? Who is out there that we are interacting with? It’s not just the younger generations who are logged on. Though in 2006, with Facebook a new hip and trendy thing for college students to be using, the demographics were skewed more towards those users. But within recent years, however, those signing up for accounts have started being those in their middle ages. This is especially true for Facebook.

In the last six years there has been an increase in the age of those who are considered internet users by the Pew Research Center. While the vast majority is still going to be those in the millennial generation it is still worth noting that many of those who are not first adopters are venturing onto the internet and creating social media accounts.

Yet, as about.com explained, social media sites can be anything. So what is out there? What is being used the most? The answer…Facebook.

This platform is still dominating the wave lengths, unlike other networks who have come and gone (MySpace and LiveJournal are two that come to mind). The Pew Research Center says that of the older generations, those 73% who are online, Facebook is their social media choice of poison. And while it holds as the number one spot for most users, others are taking their claim as the number one spot for specific demographics. For instance Pinterest is geared more towards women, while LinkedIn caters to the needs of business professionals and recent student graduates. These sites are taking the time to hone in to who wants to be on that site and ensuring that those users stay committed to them. This practice is one that many in the marketing-communication-advertising world need to focus on and understand: who is your demographic and were are they speeding their online time? The Pew Research Center has done a great job compiling this information and I highly recommend taking a look at their full findings here.